Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, 26 October
This is how the fight will be remembered
And this is how the voice getting stronger and louder!
These lyrics are from the song (Not) Public Property by the unique and remarkable Indonesian band Voice of Baceprot. The song is a feminist anthem rejecting the treatment of women as public property, and they open their concerts with it. The song continues:
Our body is not public property
We have no place for the dirty mind
Our body is not public property
We have no place for the sexist mind!
VoB comprises three young women whose music is a sophisticated blend of hard rock and rap with funky rhythms and frequently changing time signatures, inflected with traditional Sundanese flavours including the pentatonic scale. While they are described as a ‘metal’ band, such a simple categorisation does not adequately convey the complexity of their finely honed oeuvre.
Most of all, their rousing songs address vitally important social justice issues — they call for women’s independence and empowerment and greater educational opportunities for girls, and they critique environmental degradation, war and discrimination.
VoB: Marsya (guitar and voice), Sitti (drums), and Widi (bass), photo Chris Reid
Comprising Firdda ‘Marsya’ Kurnia (voice and guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti ‘Sitti’ Aisyah (drums), VoB have just completed their first Australian tour. Unfortunately, their Adelaide concert was cancelled, evidently due to ‘logistical issues’ (their schedule seemed way too tight), obliging your intrepid reporter to travel to Melbourne for their gig there.
And what a gig it was! Attending a VoB concert is much more than a fascinating musical experience. The audience is urged to sing with them and join in their calls for social justice. Their high-energy delivery combines with their warm, approachable stage presence and relatable social justice concerns to create an emotionally charged experience — fans can be seen with tears in their eyes after attending a concert.
In 2014, while in their very early teens, Marsya, Widi and Sitti got together when attending an Islamic junior high school (a Madrasah Tsanawiyah) in Singajaya, a small farming village in the mountains of West Java where they grew up. The word baceprot (pronounced ba-che-prot) is Sundanese for annoyingly noisy.
They needed a creative outlet and their school guidance counsellor, Cep Ersa Ekasusila Satia (known as Abah Erza or Father Erza), introduced them to guitar and drums and helped them write their early songs. Their discovery of ‘metal’ music proved a lightbulb moment and they began playing covers of music by prominent metal groups, but they faced strong opposition from their school and from their parents as such music was considered ‘the devil’s music’ and haram (forbidden).
Their first original song, School Revolution, written early on, demands improved educational opportunities for girls, and in response to the discrimination, harassment and even violence they endured, they then wrote the song God Allow Me (Please) to Play Music.
Ignoring their critics and eschewing the arranged early marriages that are typical in their rural community, they committed themselves to their music, and they were performing on television and at important events such as the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival by the time they finished secondary school. Their journey over the last decade has been characterised by the utmost courage, dedication and resilience.
Marsya, photo Chris Reid
VoB’s power-laden music is music of defiance, and they see it not as ‘the devil’s music’ but as a force for positive change in society. The Other Side of Metalism is another song that challenges their critics.
Vocalist Marsya is a charismatic figure, engaging the audience directly — you cannot be a passive observer — and her emotionally charged voice has an almost visceral impact. In introducing their anti-war song, What’s the (Holy) Nobel Today?, she screams repeatedly, ‘The genocide is still happening, we can’t be silent!’, and the audience answers her call. Everyone sings:
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
PMS (Perempuan Merdeka Seutuhniya, or Completely Independent Women) is another feminist anthem, attacking sexism and the abuse of women. Shaking her fist, Marsya introduces PMS with a rhythmic chant of ‘Freedom … for … life! Freedom … for … life!’ and again the audience joins in. The chorus goes:
Though not as immaculate as Virgin Mary
I'm not a slave to your rotten brain
Though not as immaculate as Virgin Mary
I'm free, free completely
In a different vein, their cover of Queen’s We Will Rock You again gets the audience singing along.
Widi’s virtuosic bass playing and Sitti’s complex drumming patterns establish the foundation of VoB’s characteristic sound. There are frequent bass solos as well as guitar solos, and Sitti also performs an extended drum solo — VoB’s musical skills and ensemble playing are of the highest order.
Mighty Island, which addresses ongoing environmental degradation due to people’s selfishness, opens with an earth-shattering bass riff and later includes a Sundanese proverb about honesty and integrity which Marsya gently sings in the traditional nyinden style.
Their instrumental piece Kawani (Sundanese for courage) is an entrancing composite of many short, contrasting passages, each with its own time signature, rhythmic character and musical reference, and it includes a passage where Widi mimics the delicate sound of the Sundanese kecapi (a kind of zither) on her bass while Marsya’s guitar solo evokes the sound of the suling (flute).
In response to overwhelming audience demand, they gave an encore, The Enemy of Earth is You, which critiques the trashing of their home district by tourists.
Their album Retas was released last year, they toured Europe in 2021 and 2022 and the US in 2023, and they played at the Glastonbury music festival in June this year, the first Indonesian band ever to perform there.
They collaborate with organisations aligned with their concerns, for example Women of the World, a UK-based foundation established to support women and girls. They have performed for the Indonesian Ministry of Religion and for Amnesty International, and at events variously promoting modest fashion, AIDS awareness and research into cervical cancer.
VoB’s work extends beyond musical performances — they have recently established their ruang riung or creative space in the regional city of Garut where they are based. Ruang Riung Baceprot includes a music studio, a café, a library and a merchandise store, and one of its roles will be to support young musicians.
Though they still have their detractors, VoB have gained significant recognition within Indonesia and around the world. This year they won the Anugerah Perempuan Hebat, Indonesia’s Great Women’s Award, for inspirational leadership in promoting freedom of expression, and they were cited in Forbes Asia magazine’s 30 Under 30 Stars and Athletes category for breaking stereotypes and empowering their generation.
The Indonesian ambassador to the UK, who hosted them in London, has even described VoB as an arm of Indonesia’s soft diplomacy. VoB are proving to be significant role models for young women and for moderate, peaceful, culturally-inclusive Islam.
Let’s hope that VoB will perform in Adelaide soon.
Before VoB took the stage, rapper Mudrat warmed up the audience with an intense performance critiquing the dispossession of First Nations communities and the failure of government to address such important issues, nicely complementing VoB’s activism and making for a most thought-provoking evening.
Chris Reid
When: 26 Oct
Where: Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, Victoria
Bookings: Closed
https://www.instagram.com/voiceofbaceprot/
